Image capturing apparatus, image capturing control method and storage medium for capturing a subject to be recorded with intended timing

ABSTRACT

An image capturing apparatus ( 1 ) includes an image capturing unit ( 2 ), a display control unit ( 71 ), an overlap determination unit ( 72 ), and a recording control unit ( 74 ). The image capturing unit ( 22 ) sequentially captures an image of a subject. The display control unit ( 71 ) controls the image containing the subject image sequentially captured by the image capturing unit ( 22 ) and an indicator image for instructing recording of the subject image to be displayed on a display unit in such a way that the indicator image is superimposed on the image containing the subject image. The overlap determination unit ( 72 ) determines whether the indicator image and the subject image have overlapped. The recording control unit ( 74 ) controls the image containing the subject image to be recorded in a storage medium, when the overlap determination unit ( 72 ) determines that the indicator image and the subject image have overlapped.

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2010-293007, filed on 28 Dec. 2010, thecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus, an imagecapturing control method and a storage medium for capturing a subject tobe recorded with intended timing.

2. Related Art

Conventionally, when a user photographs himself/herself using an imagecapturing apparatus such as a digital camera, the user can instruct theshutter timing (the timing of capturing an image for recording) byremote operation, without directly pressing down a shutter button.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No.2005-192015 discloses a technology in which, using a remote controlequipped with an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a digital camera capturesan image of a subject when light from the LED in this remote control isreceived by this digital camera.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has an object of capturing a subject to berecorded at an intended timing, without any dedicated apparatus forinstructing shutter timing such as a remote control.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to a firstaspect of the present invention, an image capturing apparatus includes:

an image capturing unit that sequentially captures a subject;

a display control unit that controls the image containing the subjectimage sequentially captured by the image capturing unit and an indicatorimage for instructing recording of the subject image to be displayed ona display unit in such a way that the indicator image is superimposed onthe image containing the subject image;

an overlap determination unit that determines whether the indicatorimage and the subject image have overlapped; and

a recording control unit that controls the image containing the subjectimage to be recorded in a storage medium, when the overlap determinationunit determines that the indicator image and the subject image haveoverlapped.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, accordingto a second aspect of the invention,

an image capturing control method executed by an image capturingapparatus having an image capturing unit that sequentially captures asubject, includes:

a display control step of controlling the image containing the subjectimage sequentially captured by the image capturing unit and an indicatorimage for instructing recording of the subject image to be displayed ina display unit in such a way that the indicator image is superimposed onthe image containing the subject image;

an overlap determination step of determining whether the indicator imageand the subject image have overlapped; and

a recording control step of controlling an image containing the subjectimage to be recorded in a storage medium, when it is determined in theoverlap determination step that the indicator image and the subjectimage have overlapped.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, accordingto a third aspect of the invention,

a computer readable storage medium has stored therein a program causinga computer of an electronic apparatus provided with an image capturingunit that sequentially captures an image of a subject and a storagemedium to function as:

a display control unit that controls the subject image sequentiallycaptured by the image capturing unit and an indicator image forinstructing recording of the subject image to be displayed on a displayunit in such a way that the indicator image is superimposed on the imagecontaining the subject image;

an overlap determination unit that determines whether the indicatorimage and the subject image have overlapped; and

a recording control unit that controls the image containing the subjectimage to be recorded in a storage medium, when the overlap determinationunit determines that the indicator image and the subject image haveoverlapped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an exterior configuration of an imagecapturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior configuration of theimage capturing apparatus set standing on a desk or the like;

FIG. 3 shows an example of an image displayed on the image capturingapparatus 1 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of hardware of animage capturing apparatus capable of executing image capture processingthrough a remote image capturing signal;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configurationfor realizing an executive function of image capture processing througha remote image capturing signal, among the functions possessed by theimage capturing apparatus having the hardware configuration of FIG. 4;and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of image capture processingthrough a remote image capturing signal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following, an embodiment of the present invention will beexplained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an exterior configuration of an imagecapturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

More specifically, FIG. 1A is a plan view showing the exteriorconfiguration of the image capturing apparatus when an imaging surfaceand a display surface are respectively arranged on opposing sides.

FIG. 1B is a plan view showing the exterior configuration of the imagecapturing apparatus when the imaging surface and the display surface arearranged on the same side.

The image capturing apparatus 1 is configured by a digital camera, forexample, and can sequentially photograph a subject and display an imagein which an indicator indicative of an instruction for the shuttertiming (instruction for recording) is superimposed on the imagecontaining the subject acquired in each image capturing (hereinafter,referred to as “indicator-superimposed image”).

In this case, the user can instruct the shutter timing, while viewingthe indicator-superimposed image, by making a predetermined movementwith their hand at a timing intended by the user to superimpose an imageof the hand in the indicator-superimposed image over the indicator.

It should be noted that, hereinafter, a movement with a hand is referredto as a “hand gesture”, and manipulation of an image capturing apparatus1 by way of a hand gesture is referred to as “hand gesture operation”.

Thus, the image capturing apparatus 1 can execute a processing sequencefrom capturing an image of the user based on the hand gesture operationfor instructing any shutter timing intended by the user, until recordingthe data of the resultant image (hereinafter referred to as “data of acaptured image”).

Since the hand gesture operation for instructing the shutter timingintended by the user is a remote image capturing signal, such aprocessing sequence is hereinafter referred to as an “image captureprocessing through a remote image capturing signal”.

The image capturing apparatus 1 includes a camera main body 11, adisplay unit main body 12 and a frame main body 13 to execute the imagecapture processing through remote image capturing signal.

The camera main body 11 is formed in a short columnar shape with apentagonal horizontal cross-section, the back side of the camera mainbody 11 is formed to be level, as shown in FIG. 1A, and the imagingsurface of an image capturing unit 22 (surface on an imaging lens sidethereof) is arranged on the surface of the camera main body 11, as shownin FIG. 1B. This means that the camera main body 11 is a first housingwhich accommodates the image capturing unit 22.

The camera main body 11 is pivotally supported to the display unit mainbody 12 to be able to rotate about a rotation axis A penetrating throughthe camera main body 11 and therethrough.

Furthermore, the camera main body 11 is pivotally supported to the framemain body 13 to be able to rotate about a rotation axis B extendingperpendicularly to a rotation axis A and through the camera main body11.

More specifically, the camera main body 11 is configured to be able torotate about the rotation axis A, with the display unit main body 12slidingly contacting with a side of the pentagonal shape of the cameramain body 11.

It should be noted that, hereinafter, a “camera side” refers to the sideof the image capturing apparatus 1 on which the camera main body 11 isinstalled (the left side in FIG. 1) and a “ display unit side” refers tothe side on which the display unit main body 12 is installed (right sidein FIG. 1, i.e. side opposite to the side facing the camera main body11, in particular).

The display unit main body 12 is formed in a substantially rectangularshape in a horizontal cross-section, and a rectangular display surfaceof a display unit 21 is positioned at the center of the surface of thedisplay unit main body 12. This means that the display unit main body 12is a second housing that accommodates the display unit 21.

The frame main body 13 is formed in a shape having a substantiallyU-shape in a horizontal cross-section with a base and two parallel arms,each of which extends from the respective ends of the base substantiallyperpendicularly to the base.

The base of the frame main body 13 is formed to project in a Vconfiguration in a direction opposite to the direction in which twoparallel arms of the frame main body 13 extend (i.e. display unit side).

The frame main body 13 is connected to the camera main body 11, i.e. thefirst housing, so as to be able to rotate about the rotation axis B. Inother words, the camera main body 11 is pivotally supported to be ableto rotate about the rotation axis B, which extends between the leadingends of the two arms of the frame main body 13.

Therefore, the camera main body 11 is pivotally supported to the framemain body 13 in a state in which two sides opposing each other in thepentagonal shape of the camera main body 11 are in contact with the twoarms of the frame main body 13. This makes it possible for the cameramain body 11 to rotate while the opposing two sides slidingly contactthe two arms of the frame main body 13, respectively.

Thus, since the camera main body 11 is pivotally supported to the framemain body 13 to be rotatable, the orientation of the surface on whichimaging surface of the image capturing unit 22 is disposed can be freelychanged. This means that, by rotating the camera main body 11, the usercan direct the imaging surface of the image capturing unit 22 to a farside into the drawing relative to the plane on which the image capturingapparatus 1 is illustrated, as shown in FIG. 1A, and can direct theimaging surface of the image capturing unit 22 to a near side out of thedrawing, as shown in FIG. 1B.

Consequently, if the subject is present on this far side, the user canhave the image capturing unit 22 capture an image of the subject at thisfar side, by rotating the camera main body 11 about the rotation axis Bto enter the state shown in FIG. 1A.

On the other hand, if the subject is present on the near side such as ina case of the user photographing himself/herself as the subject, theuser can have the image capturing unit 22 capture an image of thesubject on the near side, by rotating the camera main body 11 about therotation axis B to enter the state shown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior configuration of theimage capturing apparatus 1 set standing on a desk or the like.

For example, when the user photographs himself/herself, the user firstsets the image capturing apparatus 1 to stand on a desk or the like, ina state in which normal lines to the display surface of the display unit21 and to the imaging surface of the image capturing unit 22 are eachsubstantially the same direction to each other, and the camera main body11 and the frame main body 13 have been rearranged so as to form apredetermined angle relative to each other, as shown in FIG. 2.

This means that the leading end of the projecting V-shaped baseconstituting the frame main body 13 and the edge of the display unitmain body 12 function as a pedestal and abut with the surface of a deskor the like, and both the frame main body 13 and the display unit mainbody 12 are pivotally supported to each other via the rotation axis B,whereby the image capturing apparatus 1 can be set to stand on the deskor the like.

FIG. 3 shows one example of an image displayed on the image capturingapparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A shows one example of an indicator-superimposed image which isdisplayed in a preliminary stage in a case of the user photographinghimself/herself as the subject.

FIG. 3B shows one example of an indicator-superimposed image which isdisplayed when the user instructs shutter timing.

FIG. 3C shows one example of a captured image which is displayed when animage for recording is captured.

More specifically, in a case of the user photographing himself/herselfas the subject, after the user sets the image capturing apparatus 1 tostand on a desk or the like, as shown in FIG. 2, the user moves to aposition a certain distance away from the image capturing unit 22(position from which the display of the display unit 21 can be seen), soas to be facing the imaging surface of the image capturing unit 22.

Then, an indicator-superimposed image P1 such as that shown in FIG. 3Ais captured, and the indicator-superimposed image P1 is displayed on thedisplay unit 21 as a mirror image in relation to the user. This meansthat, as shown in FIG. 3A, in the indicator-superimposed image P1, anicon image ir, which is the indicator for instructing the shuttertiming, is superimposed on the upper-right part of the captured imagecontaining the image containing a user image U (live-view image, whichwill be described later). However, in the indicator-superimposed imageP1, a hand image h in the user image U does not overlap the icon imageir.

It should be noted that the display unit 21 may display theindicator-superimposed image P1 as an erect image in relation to theuser, instead of displaying it as a mirror image in relation to theuser.

Thereafter, the user adjusts the shutter timing, while viewing anotherindicator-superimposed image (not illustrated). Herein, the reason formentioning another indicator-superimposed image is that the otherindicator-superimposed image differs from the indicator-superimposedimage P1 of FIG. 3A in that the former contains the icon image irsuperimposed on the live-view image (described below) acquired as aresult of the sequential image capturing of the user.

Then, the user causes the hand image h to be superimposed on the iconimage ir at that position (at some point distant from the imagecapturing apparatus 1), by making a hand gesture operation of hiding thehand or shaking the hand at the desired timing. This means that at thismoment, the display unit 21 displays the indicator-superimposed image P2in which the hand image h in the user image U overlaps the icon imageir, as shown in FIG. 3B.

The image capturing apparatus 1 recognizes that the instruction for theshutter timing, i.e. the instruction for capturing an image forrecording, by recognizing that the hand image h in the user image U hasoverlapped the icon image ir.

It should be noted that the image capturing apparatus 1 may record thedata of an image captured at the moment when the image capturingapparatus 1 recognizes that the hand image h in the user image U hasoverlapped the icon image ir; however, the captured image at this momentis the indicator-superimposed image P2 of FIG. 3B lacking the icon imageir, i.e. an image containing the hand image h captured at the momentwhen the hand gesture operation was being made. In most cases, the userwould consider such a captured image not suitable for recording. Inother words, most users would want to save the data of an image capturedafter making the hand gesture operation and assuming a pose, as theimage for recording.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the image capturing apparatus 1executes an image capturing operation for recording, assuming that theoverlap of the hand image h in the user image U onto the icon image irindicates activating a so-called self-timer.

This means that the image capturing apparatus 1 starts a countdown.During the countdown, the progress of the countdown is notified to theuser by way of displaying a counter for the countdown (not illustrated)on the display unit 21 or blinking a predetermined illuminated part,thereby allowing the user to make preparations such as pose.

When the countdown has completed, a shutter of the image capturingapparatus 1 is clicked. This means that the image capturing apparatus 1records, as image data for recording, the data of the image captured bythe image capturing unit 22 at the moment when the countdown ends.

In this example, at the moment when the countdown ends and the shutteris clicked, the image P3 shown in FIG. 3C, i.e. the image P3photographed so that the user image U having decided a pose, with thehand image h not overlapping the area of the icon image ir, is a mirrorimage, is displayed on the display unit 21, and simultaneously, the dataof a captured image corresponding to the image P3 is recorded as animage data to be recorded.

In the present embodiment, the image capture processing through remoteimage capturing signal is executed by the image capturing apparatus 1 inthe above-described manner.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of theimage capturing apparatus 1, which is capable of executing the aboveimage capture processing through remote image capturing signal.

In addition to the display unit 21 and the image capturing unit 22 asdescribed above, the image capturing apparatus 1 is further providedwith a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, ROM (Read Only Memory) 42, RAM(Random Access Memory) 43, an image processing unit 44, a bus 45, aninput/output interface 46, a timing unit 47, an operation unit 48, astorage unit 49, a communication unit 50, and a drive 51.

The CPU 41 executes various types of processing according to programsthat are recorded in the ROM 42 or programs that are loaded from thestorage unit 49 to the RAM 43.

The RAM 43 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 41 toexecute the various processes, as appropriate.

The image processing unit 44 is configured by a DSP (Digital SignalProcessor), VRAM (Video Random Access Memory), and the like, andcollaborates with the CPU 41 to execute various kinds of imageprocessing on image data.

For example, the image processing unit 44 executes image processing suchas noise reduction, white balance adjustment, blur correction on thedata of a captured image outputted from the image capturing unit 22.

The CPU 41, the ROM 42, the RAM 43, and the image processing unit 44 areconnected to one another via the bus 45. The bus 45 is also connectedwith the input/output interface 46. The input/output interface 46 isconnected to the display unit 21, the image capturing unit 22, thetiming unit 47, the operation unit 48, the storage unit 49, thecommunication unit 50, and the drive 51.

The display unit 21 is configured by a display capable of displayingvarious images such as the indicator-superimposed image, and the like.

The image capturing unit 22 is provided with an optical lens unit and animage sensor, which are not illustrated.

In order to photograph a subject, the optical lens unit is configured bya lens, e.g., a focus lens, that condenses light, a zoom lens and thelike.

The focus lens is a lens for forming an image of a subject on the lightreceiving surface of the image sensor. The zoom lens is a lens forfreely changing a focal length within a predetermined range.

The optical lens unit also includes peripheral circuits to adjustparameters such as focus, exposure, white balance, and the like, asnecessary.

The image sensor is configured by an optoelectronic conversion device,an AFE (Analog Front End), and the like.

The optoelectronic conversion device is configured by a CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type of optoelectronicconversion device and the like, for example. Light incident through theoptical lens unit forms an image of a subject in the optoelectronicconversion device. The optoelectronic conversion deviceoptoelectronically converts (i.e. captures) the image of the subject,accumulates the resultant image signal for a predetermined timeinterval, and sequentially supplies the image signal as an analog signalto the AFE.

The AFE executes various kinds of signal processing such as A/D(Analog/Digital) conversion processing of the analog signal, and outputsthe resultant digital signal as an output signal from the imagecapturing unit 22. The various kinds of signal processing generate adigital signal, which is output as an output signal from the imagecapturing unit 22.

Such an output signal from the image capturing unit 22 is data of acaptured image, and provided as appropriate to the CPU 41, the imageprocessing unit 44, and the like.

The timing unit 47 executes time measurement under the control of theCPU 41.

The operation unit 48 is configured by various buttons such as theshutter button (not illustrated), and accepts instruction operationsfrom a user.

The storage unit 49 is configured by DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)or the like, and stores data of various images such as a live-viewimage, which will be described later.

The communication unit 50 controls communication with other devices viaa network, which includes the Internet.

Removable media 52 made from a magnetic disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optical disk, semiconductor memory, or the like is installed inthe drive 51, as appropriate. Programs read via the drive 51 from theremovable media 52 are installed in the storage unit 49 as necessary. Inaddition, similarly to the storage unit 49, the removable media 52 canalso store various kinds of data such as the image data stored in thestorage unit 49.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configurationfor realizing an executive function of image capture processing througha remote image capturing signal, among the functions possessed by theimage capturing apparatus 1 having the above-mentioned hardwareconfiguration.

When the image capture processing through remote image capturing signalis executed, an indicator-superimposed image generating unit 61functions in the image processing unit 44, while a display control unit71, an overlap determination unit 72, a countdown unit 73, and arecording control unit 74 function in the CPU 41.

A region of the ROM 42 is provided with an indicator storage unit 81that stores image data of the indicator such as the icon image it (FIG.3).

The indicator-superimposed image generating unit 61 sequentiallygenerates data of an indicator image by superimposing the image data ofthe indicator read from the indicator storage unit 81 onto the data of acaptured image sequentially supplied by the image capturing unit 22, andsupplies the data of the indicator image to the display control unit 71and the overlap determination unit 72.

The display control unit 71 causes the indicator image sequentiallysupplied as data by the indicator-superimposed image generating unit 61to be displayed on the display unit 21 as the live-view image.

The live-view image will be explained herein.

Specifically, the CPU 41 and the like control the image capturing unit22 so as to continue capturing the image of the subject. While the imagecapturing unit 22 continues capturing the image of the subject, the CPU41 and the like operate to temporarily store, in memory (in the presentembodiment, the storage unit 49), the data of the captured image (frame)sequentially output from image processing unit 44 via the imagecapturing unit 22. Such a control processing sequence by the CPU 41 isreferred to hereinafter as “live-view image capture processing”.However, in the present embodiment, the data of theindicator-superimposed image in which the indicator is superimposed onthe captured image is output sequentially from theindicator-superimposed image generating unit 61 of the image processingunit 44, and temporarily stored in the memory (in the presentembodiment, the storage unit 49).

Furthermore, the display control unit 71 sequentially reads therespective image data temporarily stored in the memory (in the presentembodiment, the storage unit 49) in the live-view image captureprocessing, and sequentially displays, on the display unit 21, thecorresponding captured images (frames) (in the present embodiment, theindicator image in which the indicator is superimposed on the capturedimage). Such a control processing sequence by the display control unit71 is referred hereinafter to as “live-view image display processing”.It should be noted that the captured image displayed on the display unit21 according to the live-view image display processing (in the presentembodiment, the indicator image in which the indicator is superimposedon the captured image) is the “live-view image”.

The overlap determination unit 72 determines whether or not a part ofthe subject image (in the example shown in FIG. 3, the image of the handh of the user image U) overlaps the indicator image (in the exampleshown in FIG. 3, the icon image ir) based on the data of the indicatorimage sequentially supplied from the indicator-superimposed imagegenerating unit 61, and notifies the countdown unit 73 of thedetermination result.

When the overlap determination unit 72 determines that a part of thesubject image overlaps the indicator image, the countdown unit 73controls the timing unit 47 to start the countdown, and after thecountdown ends, notifies the recording control unit 74 accordingly.

This means that the timing unit 47 starts a timing of a predeterminedperiod of time (the period from the start to the end of the countdown)under the control of the countdown unit 73. The countdown unit 73sequentially compares the time measured by the timing unit 47 with athreshold value corresponding to the predetermined period of time, andwhen the measured time exceeds the threshold value, the countdown unit73 notifies the recording control unit 74 that the countdown has ended.

When the recording control unit 74 is notified that the countdown hasended from the countdown unit 73, the recording control unit 74 controlsin such a way that the data of the captured image output from the imagecapturing unit 22 immediately after this notification, more exactly, thedata of the captured image on which image process has subsequently beenconducted by the image processing unit 44 as appropriate, is recorded asthe image data for recording in the removable media 52.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the image capture processing through remoteimage capturing signal executed by the image capturing apparatus 1having the functional configuration as shown in FIG. 5 will be explainedwhile referring to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flowof the image capture processing through remote image capturing signal.

In the present embodiment, the image capture processing through remoteimage capturing signal is commenced when the user performs an operationon the operation unit 48 to turn on the power. More specifically, thefollowing processing is performed.

In Step S1, the indicator-superimposed image generating unit 61generates the data of the indicator-superimposed image by superimposingimage data of the indicator image stored in the indicator storage unit81 (the icon image it in FIG. 3, or the like) onto the data of thecaptured image sequentially output from the image capturing unit 22 (forexample, the captured image containing the user image U as shown in FIG.3).

In Step S2, the display control unit 71 displays, on the display unit21, the indicator-superimposed image thus generated as the data in theprocessing of Step S1.

In Step S3, the overlap determination unit 72 determines, for the dataof the indicator-superimposed image generated in the processing in StepS1 whether or not a part of the subject image (for example, the image ofthe hand h of the user image U as shown in FIG. 3) has overlapped theindicator image (the icon image ir in FIG. 3, or the like).

For example, if a part of the subject image (for example, the hand imageh in the user image U) does not overlap the indicator image (the iconimage ir in FIG. 3, or the like) in the indicator-superimposed image, asshown in the indicator-superimposed image P1 of FIG. 3A, a determinationof NO is made in Step S3, the processing returns to Step S1, and theprocessing in Steps S1 to S2 is repeated.

This means that the loop processing of Steps S1 to S3 is repeated untila part of the subject image overlaps the indicator image in theindicator-superimposed image updated sequentially as the live-viewimage, and the image capture processing through remote image capturingsignal enters a standby state.

Subsequently, if a part of the subject image (for example, the image ofthe hand h of the user image U in FIG. 3) overlaps the indicator (theicon image ir in FIG. 3, or the like) as shown in theindicator-superimposed image P2 of FIG. 3B, for example, a determinationof YES is made in Step S3, and the processing proceeds to Step S4.

In Step S4, the countdown unit 73 causes the timing unit 47 to start thetiming operation. This means that the countdown operation by thecountdown unit 73 is started, and an image is sequentially displayed inwhich the icon image ir in FIG. 3 is changed to the numerical value ofthe countdown timer (count showing the remaining seconds or the like).

An image in which the image superimposed on the live-view image ischanged from the indicator such as the icon image it to the numericalvalue of the countdown timer in this way, i.e. the live-view imagecontaining the numerical value of the countdown superimposed, ishereinafter referred to as “timing status display image”.

In Step S5, the countdown unit 73 determines whether or not the measuredtime according to the timing unit 47 has exceeded the predeterminedperiod of time (time preset as the threshold value).

If the measured time has not exceeded the predetermined period of time,a determination of NO is made in Step S5, and the processing returns toStep S5 again. This means that, until the measured time exceeds apredetermined period of time, the determination processing in Step S5 isrepeatedly executed and the countdown operation proceeds.

It should be noted the progress during the countdown is informed to theuser by displaying the timing status display image on the display unit21 (not shown). Consequently, since the user informed in this manner caneasily recognize the remaining time until the countdown ends, the usercan suitably prepare a pose, for example.

Subsequently, when the measured time exceeds the predetermined period oftime, a determination of YES is made in Step S5, the completion of thecountdown is informed from the countdown unit 73 to the recordingcontrol unit 74, and the processing proceeds to Step S6.

In Step S6, the recording control unit 74 causes the data of thecaptured image output from the image capturing unit 22 immediately afterthis notification, more exactly, the data of the captured image on whichimage process has subsequently been conducted by the image processingunit 44 as appropriate, to be recorded as the image data for recordingin the removable media 52.

In Step S7, the recording control unit 74 determines whether or notthere has been an instruction for ending image capturing.

If there has not been an instruction for ending image capturing, adetermination of NO is made in Step S7, and the processing returns toStep S1. This means that the processing in Steps S1 to S7 is repeatedlyperformed until there is an instruction for ending image capturing.

By configuring in this way, until the user has made an instruction forending image capturing, the user can have the data of an image capturedat the desired shutter timing recorded any number of times by repeatinga hand gesture operation such as holding a hand over the indicator.

Subsequently, for example, when the user has made the instruction forending image capturing by performing a predetermined operation on theoperation unit 48 and gives the operation unit 48 the instruction to endthe image capturing, a determination of YES is made in Step S7, and theimage capture processing through remote image capturing signal ends.

As explained in the foregoing, the image capturing apparatus 1 of thepresent embodiment includes the display unit 21, the image capturingunit 22, the display control unit 71, the overlap determination unit 72,and the recording control unit 74.

The display control unit 71 controls in such a way that theindicator-superimposed image acquired by superimposing the image of thesubject image sequentially captured by the image capturing unit 22 andthe indicator image indicative of an instruction for recording (forexample, the icon image it in FIG. 3) is displayed on the display unit21.

The overlap determination unit 72 determines whether or not a part ofthe subject image (for example, the image of the hand h of the userimage U in FIG. 3) has overlapped the indicator image superimposedlydisplayed on the captured image.

When the overlap determination unit 72 determines that the image of thepart of the subject has overlapped the indicator, the recording controlunit 74 causes the data of a captured image of the subject captured bythe image capturing unit 22 to be recorded in a predetermined storagemedia (for example, although it is the removable media 52 in theaforementioned example, it may be other storage media built into theimage capturing apparatus 1, such as the storage unit 41).

In this case, the user, i.e. the subject, can easily give an instructionfor image capturing for recording at a shutter timing intended by theuser, by simply making a hand gesture operation such that a part of theuser (a hand or the like) is held over the indicator, without anydedicated apparatus for designating the shutter timing.

Furthermore, the image capturing apparatus 1 of the present embodimentfurther includes: a timing unit 47 that starts a timing under thecontrol of the countdown unit 73, when the overlap determination unitdetermines that the image of the part of the subject has overlapped theindicator; and the countdown unit 73 that determines whether or not themeasured time according to the timing unit 47 exceeds a predeterminedthreshold (the predetermined period of time described in Step S5 of FIG.6).

Consequently, after the overlapping determination unit 72 determinesthat the image of the part of the subject has overlapped the indicator,the recording control unit 74 causes the data of a captured image of thesubject to be recorded in the predetermined storage media when thecountdown unit 73 determines that measured time has exceeded apredetermined threshold time (countdown has ended).

The data of a captured image of the user is thereby recorded not for themoment at which a hand gesture operation such as holding a part (a handor the like) of the user, i.e. the subject, over the indicator was made,but rather for a moment after a subsequent predetermined period of timehad elapsed (countdown had ended).

Therefore, since the user can carry out preparations for a pose or thelike during the time from when the user made a hand gesture operationuntil the predetermined period of time has elapsed, a captured imagethat is captured under the ideal conditions for the user will beobtained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to theembodiment described above, and any modifications and improvementsthereto within the scope that can realize the object of the presentinvention are included in the present invention.

For example, although the indicator superimposed on the captured imageis the icon image it (FIG. 3) indicative of an instruction to capture animage in the embodiment described above, the present invention is notlimited thereto. More specifically, various types of GUI (Graphical UserInterface) necessary for the image capturing operation or the like canbe employed as an indicator. Furthermore, it is possible to arrange aplurality of indicator images at any position of a captured image, solong as a part of the subject image (a hand of the user, or the like)does not overlap more than one indicator image.

For example, such a GUI can include, besides an icon for an instructionfor recording (self-timer) as in the present embodiment, various typesof GUI such as a UI capable of adjusting luminance and ISO(International Organization for Standardization) speed, a movie button(software button) and the like.

In the context of the invention, the UI capable of adjusting luminanceand ISO is not necessarily an icon or a software button, but may be aslider, for example.

Slider refers to a software control mimicking a function of a slidepotentiometer found in audio equipment. Generally, the slider isconfigured by a display mimicking both a small knob and a channel alongwhich the knob is slid.

The slider has a function of selecting one value within a specifiedrange. Among the two ends of the channel, one end corresponds to aminimum value, and the other end corresponds to a maximum value. Thus,the user, i.e. the subject, can select any value (desired values of theluminance or the ISO sensitivity, or the like) associated within therange of the channel, by a hand gesture operation of waving his/her handto the right and left, and dragging the display of the small knob tomove within the display of the channel on the indicator-superimposedimage.

It should be noted that when focusing only on the function of selectingone option among several options, a radio button or a list box can beemployed; however, the use of the slider enables the user to select anydesired value from a set of consecutive values.

Furthermore, although the image capturing apparatus 1 such as a digitalcamera has been explained in the aforementioned embodiment as an exampleof the electronic apparatus to which the present invention is applied,the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. The presentinvention can generally be applied to any electronic device having animage capturing function and a display function. More specifically, forexample, the present invention can be applied to a laptop personalcomputer, a video camera, a portable navigation device, a cell phonedevice, a portable game device, a web camera, and the like.

The processing sequence described above can be executed by hardware, andalso can be executed by software. In other words, the hardwareconfiguration shown in FIG. 5 is merely an illustrative example, and thepresent invention is not particularly limited thereto. Morespecifically, the types of functional blocks employed to realize theabove-described functions are not particularly limited to the example ofFIG. 5, so long as the image capturing apparatus 1 can be provided withthe functions enabling the aforementioned processing sequence to beexecuted in its entirety. A single functional block may be configured bya single piece of hardware, a single installation of software, or anycombination thereof.

In a case in which the processing sequence is to be executed bysoftware, a program configuring the software is installed from a networkor a storage medium into a computer or the like. The computer may be acomputer embedded in dedicated hardware. Alternatively, the computer maybe a computer capable of executing various functions by installingvarious programs, e.g., a general-purpose personal computer.

The storage medium containing such a program can not only be constitutedby the removable media 52 shown in FIG. 4 distributed separately fromthe device main body for supplying the program to a user, but also canbe constituted by a storage medium or the like supplied to the user in astate incorporated in the device main body in advance. The removablemedia 52 is composed of a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), anoptical disk, a magnetic optical disk, or the like, for example. Theoptical disk is composed of a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), aDVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like, for example. The magneticoptical disk is composed of an MD (Mini-Disk) or the like. The storagemedium supplied to the user in a state incorporated in the device mainbody in advance may include the ROM 42 shown in FIG. 4, a hard disk (notshown)or the like in which the program is recorded, for example.

It should be noted that, in the present specification, the stepsdescribing the program recorded in the storage medium include not onlythe processing executed in a time series following this order, but alsoprocessing executed in parallel or individually, which is notnecessarily executed in a time series.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image capturing apparatus, comprising: animage capturing unit that sequentially captures images containing asubject image; a display control unit that controls a display unit todisplay (i) images corresponding to the sequentially captured images andcontaining the subject image and (ii) a first indicator image forinstructing recording of the subject image such that the first indicatorimage is superimposed on the displayed images; an overlap determinationunit that determines whether the first indicator image and the subjectimage have overlapped; a notification unit that notifies a user of aremaining time before recording an image containing the subject image bycontrolling the display unit to change an entirety of the firstindicator image to a second indicator image indicating the remainingtime, when the overlap determination unit determines that the firstindicator image and the subject image have overlapped; and a recordingcontrol unit that performs control to record the image containing thesubject image to be recorded in a storage medium, after the remainingtime has elapsed.
 2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a timing unit that starts timing when the overlapdetermination unit determines that the first indicator image and thesubject image have overlapped; and a time determination unit thatdetermines whether a measured time according to the timing unit hasexceeded a predetermined time, wherein, after the overlap determinationunit has determined that the first indicator image and the subject imagehave overlapped, the recording control unit performs control to recordthe image containing the subject image in the storage medium when thetime determination unit has determined that the measured time hasexceeded the predetermined time.
 3. The image capturing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the subject image comprises an image of aperson captured by the image capturing unit.
 4. The image capturingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit controlsthe display unit to display a countdown image as the second indicatorimage.
 5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:an orientation of the capturing by the image capturing unit and anorientation of the displaying by the display unit are substantiallycoincident with each other; and the display control unit controls thedisplay unit to display mirror images of the sequentially capturedimages.
 6. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe notification unit controls the display unit to change the firstindicator image to the second indicator image at a same position as thefirst indicator image.
 7. An image capturing control method executed byan image capturing apparatus, the image capturing apparatus having animage capturing unit that sequentially captures images containing asubject image, and the method comprising: controlling a display unit todisplay (i) images corresponding to the sequentially captured images andcontaining the subject image and (ii) an indicator image for instructingrecording of the subject image such that the indicator image issuperimposed on the displayed images; determining whether the indicatorimage and the subject image have overlapped; notifying a user of aremaining time before recording an image containing the subject image bycontrolling the display unit to change an entirety of the firstindicator image to a second indicator image indicating the remainingtime, when it is determined that the indicator image and the subjectimage have overlapped; and performing control to record the imagecontaining the subject image in a storage medium, after the remainingtime has elapsed.
 8. A non-transitory computer readable storage mediumhaving a program stored thereon which is executable by a computer of anelectronic apparatus, the electronic apparatus comprising (i) an imagecapturing unit that sequentially captures images containing a subjectimage, and (ii) a storage medium, and the program being executable tocontrol the computer to function as units comprising: a display controlunit that controls a display unit to display (i) images corresponding tothe sequentially captured images and containing the subject image and(ii) an indicator image for instructing recording of the subject imagesuch that the indicator image is superimposed on the displayed images;an overlap determination unit that determines whether the indicatorimage and the subject image have overlapped; a notification unit thatnotifies a user of a remaining time before recording an image containingthe subject image by controlling the display unit to change an entiretyof the first indicator image to a second indicator image indicating theremaining time, when the overlap determination unit determines that theindicator image and the subject image have overlapped; and a recordingcontrol unit that performs control to record the image containing thesubject image to be recorded in a storage medium, after the remainingtime has elapsed.